1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to universal extenders for visors in all types of vehicles, and more particularly to an adjustable visor extension that provides increased window coverage for blocking out sunlight, headlights, and ultraviolet rays.
2. Description of Related Art
Existing visors in vehicles, such as automobiles and trucks, do not always adequately shade the driver and/or passenger from direct sunlight, damaging ultraviolet light, and headlights from oncoming traffic. It is known that sunlight can cause skin cancer and can obstruct a driver's vision. At times, sunlight and headlights enter the side window or windshield at angles which are impossible for conventional visors to intercept. In addition, the angle at which light enters a vehicle constantly changes. Existing visors only provide minimal coverage. They cannot block light which penetrates between the visor and rear view mirror, through the windshield below the visor, and around the visor through the side/door windows. This not only causes the driver and passenger discomfort, but can obstruct a driver's vision. Currently, drivers use towels, sheets, maps, and other crude methods for shading themselves from the sun and ultraviolet light. Accordingly, there exists a need for an adjustable extension that extends the protection of visors to provide better protection to drivers and passengers.
Several devices are contemplated in the background art for extending the protection of visors. However, none of these references solve the above-noted problems. The visor attachments known are not adequately adjustable, and only provide minimal levels of protection. That is, known extensions are not adjustable in length and width. In addition, known visor adapters do not adequately block light entering from the side windows. For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,678,880, 5,040,840, 4,352,519, and 2,458,125 comprise rigid shield attachments which only provide one extra level of protection and do not adjust vertically or horizontally. The noted references require complicated hinge structure for folding the extension behind the visor or down from the visor. These references also clip to the visor, which can cause damage and interfere with the attachment of other devices, such as garage door openers. Roll-up shades are also known in the art. However, they are not attachable to visors and do not address the particular problems noted herein.
As the above-noted background art fails to solve and address the problems noted herein, there exists a need for a visor extension that may be conveniently adjusted in length and sideways. The present invention solves these problems by providing an adjustable visor extension that can be adjusted for several levels of protection, can shield the entire length of the side window, and can be conveniently slid sideways for adjusting to the angle of the light. The instant invention also incorporates structure for holding articles, such as garage door openers, security gate cards, and pens. While the invention is described in detail below with respect to automobiles, it may also be used in trucks, airplanes, and other vehicles able to support and accommodate the instant invention.